The Idea of Leaving Something Tangible for Posterity

I was reading my earlier blog on my March's visit to Stanley (Read here) where we visited the former residence of the former prime minister of Australia, Joseph Lyons. That brief tour allowed me to see first hand that great minds and exceptional leaders can emerge from anywhere irrespective of how remote, simple or faraway the place of their birth. 

The simple timber house where Joseph Lyons once stayed is part of his legacy left for all future generations to cherish. It also enabled me to have a glimpse of how Australian families lived in the late 1800's. That old house to a certain extent helps to draw in some tourists to visit this outback town, Stanley who otherwise may not have decided to come. On dollars and cents, their arrivals also helps the locals to earn some extra money.

Former residence of Joseph Lyons.

The idea of whether to keep a former family home or some tangible items associated with the deceased may not be a simple and straight forward case sometimes. This could in rare cases evolve to become a deadly family feud and turn siblings to arch enemies. The recent most prominent case involving the former residence of the founding prime minister of Singapore, LKY is testament of this possibility (Read here). Indeed handling deceased's assets is not a simple matter. Could the LKY's case be more than what we read in the news? The challenge is always - How to determine what is deemed fair and equitable. This may be a problem of perception. What is deemed fair and equitable by the older generation may not be seen as fair and equitable by the next generation.

A recent topic of conversation is will writing and inheritance. The senior citizen fellowship, "Golden Joy" has again planned to invite a speaker to talk about this subject. Honestly, it may not be sufficient just to educate the seniors. Subsequent generations may need to be imparted with knowledge on this as well.